The Peanut Butter Falcon

{{short description|2019 comedy-drama film directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Peanut Butter Falcon

| image = The Peanut Butter Falcon poster.jpeg

| alt = Three people on a raft

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = {{Plainlist|

Tyler Nilson
Michael Schwartz

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Albert Berger
Christopher Lemole
Lije Sarki
David Thies
Ron Yerxa
Tim Zajaros

}}

| writer = {{Plainlist|

Tyler Nilson
Michael Schwartz

}}

| based_on =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Nigel Bluck

| editing = {{Plainlist|

Kevin Tent
Nathaniel Fuller

}}

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Armory Films
Lucky Treehouse
Bona Fide Productions
Endeavor Content

}}

| distributor = Roadside Attractions

| released = {{film date|2019|3|9|SXSW|2019|8|9|United States}}

| runtime = 98 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $6.2 million{{Cite web |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2019/08/23/peanut-butter-falcon-new-must-see-film-cincinnati-connection/2077148001/ |title=The Cincinnati connection to Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson's 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' |website=Cincinnati.com |first=Brianna |last=Rice |date=August 23, 2019 |access-date=August 23, 2019}}

| gross = $23.3 million{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thepeanutbutterfalcon.htm |title=The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=August 2, 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Peanut-Butter-Falcon-The#tab=summary |title=The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) |website=The Numbers |access-date=December 2, 2019}}

}}

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a 2019 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, in their directorial film debut, and starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, and Thomas Haden Church. The plot follows a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from an assisted living facility and befriends a wayward fisherman on the run. As the two men form a rapid bond, a social worker attempts to track them.{{Cite web |last=Dorwart |first=Laura |date=2019-08-31 |title='The Peanut Butter Falcon' Resists Stereotypes, Illustrates The Importance Of Chosen Family |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauradorwart/2019/08/31/the-peanut-butter-falcon-resists-stereotypes-illustrates-the-importance-of-chosen-family/ |access-date= |website=Forbes |language=en}} Filming took place in North Carolina and Georgia.

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2019, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 9, 2019, by Roadside Attractions. The film went on to become a sleeper hit, grossing over $23 million, making it the highest grossing independent film of the year, and received praise from critics.

Plot

Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, escapes from a state-run care facility with the help of his elderly roommate, to train as a professional wrestler under the tutelage of his hero, the Salt Water Redneck. Meanwhile, Tyler, a man fired for bringing in illegal crab catches, burns the gear of his rivals, Duncan and Ratboy, and flees himself.

While on the run, Zak and Tyler meet, and embark on a journey to the Salt Water Redneck's wrestling school in North Carolina. Zak's caretaker at the nursing home, Eleanor, sets out to find Zak and return him safely to the facility. Zak and Tyler become friends while traveling. Tyler teaches Zak various life skills, including how to use a shotgun, and eventually takes on the role of his coach, getting him in shape for his wrestling endeavors. They build a raft and begin traveling by water. Eleanor soon finds them, but after learning her boss intends to send Zak to a more severe form of confinement, joins them to travel south. That night, Duncan and Ratboy catch up with the trio, and Zak defends them with a shotgun.

When they reach Ayden, North Carolina, Tyler learns that the Salt Water Redneck has retired and closed the school, but convinces him to resurrect his alter ego for Zak. Salt Water trains Zak as a wrestler, and quickly puts Zak on a local fight card, which he believes he has rigged for Zak's safety and success. However, when the fight happens, Zak's opponent, Sam, does not hold back, and proceeds to beat him. As Tyler attempts to intervene, Duncan and Ratboy arrive, and Duncan hits Tyler on the head with a tire iron, knocking him unconscious right as Zak manages to lift Sam overhead and throw him forcefully out of the ring, something Salt Water had told him was impossible. The film ends with Tyler healing from the injury, as Eleanor drives him and Zak to Florida, implying the start of a new life for the three of them as a family.

Cast

Shia LaBeouf as Tyler
Dakota Johnson as Eleanor
John Hawkes as Duncan
Bruce Dern as Carl
Zack Gottsagen as Zak
Rob Thomas as Winkie
Jon Bernthal as Mark
Thomas Haden Church as Clint / The Salt Water Redneck
Yelawolf as Ratboy
Jake Roberts as Sam
Mick Foley as Jacob
Wayne Dehart as Jasper John
Dylan Odom as Wrestler (uncredited)

Production

The film is a modern retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story, which takes Gottsagen's own desire to be an actor and changes it into a quest to become a wrestler.{{Cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/making-of-the-peanut-butter-falcon/ |title=Bluegrass, Low Budgets, and Professional Wrestling: How the Indie Sensation 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' Was Made |last=Monagle |first=Matthew |date=2019-08-07 |website=/Film |access-date=2019-08-29}} Nilson and Schwartz met Gottsagen at a camp for actors with disabilities around 2011 in Venice, California, and he expressed interest in them making a film with him. After shooting a $20,000 proof-of-concept video, with producer David Thies, the duo received funding for the film to star Gottsagen.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/peanut-butter-falcon-shia-labeouf-zack-gottsagen-tyler-nilson-michaek-schwartz-sxsw-1202576191/ |title='The Peanut Butter Falcon's Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen And Filmmakers Talk Non-Cutesy Authenticity Of SXSW Film |last=Ramos |first=Dino-Ray |date=2019-03-15 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2019-08-29}} Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern joined the cast for the film in June 2017.{{Cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/dakota-johnson-bruce-dern-the-peanut-butter-falcon-t-bone-burnett-1202113298/ |title=Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern Joining 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' |last=Busch |first=Anita |date=2017-06-14 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2017-06-14}} In July 2017, production began in Georgia.{{Cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/john-hawkes-jon-bernthal-thomas-haden-church-the-peanut-butter-falcon-movie-1202134857/ |title=John Hawkes, Jon Bernthal & Thomas Haden Church Board 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=2017-06-24 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2017-06-24}} Later that month, John Hawkes, Jon Bernthal, Thomas Haden Church, Mick Foley, Jake Roberts and Yelawolf joined the cast of the film.

= Music =

Schwartz and Nilson wanted to play the music that inspired them while writing, and on set used a boombox to play the same music before performing a scene. The soundtrack brings together bluegrass, folk songs, and spirituals, for a mix of contemporary and timeless. The soundtrack contains original music composed by Zach Dawes, Jonathan Sadoff of Thenewno2, and Noam Pikelny and Gabe Witcher of Punch Brothers, as well as new and classic songs from Sara Watkins, Colter Wall, Chance McCoy of Old Crow Medicine Show, Gregory Alan Isakov, Ola Belle Reed, and the Staple Singers. They were surprised to be able to secure the rights to many of the songs they used at a fraction of the cost they expected.

Release

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/olivia-wilde-seth-rogen-matthew-mcconaughey-added-sxsw-film-fest-lineup-1176656 |title=SXSW: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey to Premiere New Work |last=Kilday |first=Gregg |date=2019-01-16 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2019-01-16}} Shortly after, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film, and released it in theaters on August 9, 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/the-peanut-butter-falcon-release-date-shia-labeouf-dakota-johnson-roadside-attractions-1202615138/ |title=SXSW Audience Winner 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' Acquired By Roadside Attractions For Summer Bow |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Patrick |last=Hipes |date=2019-05-15 |access-date=2019-01-15}}

Reception

= Box office =

The Peanut Butter Falcon grossed $20.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $23.1 million.

In its limited opening weekend on August 9, the film grossed $205,200 from 17 theaters.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold-hobbs-shaw-the-kitchen-box-office-weekend-1202665153/ |title='Hobbs' Hauls $25M; 'Scary Stories' Frighten 'Dora'; 'Kitchen' Sinks Melissa McCarthy & Tiffany Haddish To Career B.O. Lows – Saturday AM Update |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2019-08-11 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2019-08-11}} The studio reported that the film was number one in more than half of the theaters it played at, including "a big commercial multiplex in Salt Lake City," and locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, Charlotte, Denver and Austin, with "lots of sellouts in various markets."{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/the-peanut-butter-falcon-leads-mixed-weekend-music-doc-bring-the-soul-croons-the-farewell-salutes-10m-specialty-box-office-1202666009/ |title='The Peanut Butter Falcon' Leads Mixed Weekend; Music Doc 'Bring The Soul' Croons; 'The Farewell' Salutes $10M: Specialty Box Office |last=Brooks |first=Brian |date=2019-08-11 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=August 11, 2019}} The film expanded wide on August 23, to 991 theaters, and grossed $3 million for the weekend, finishing 12th.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/ready-or-not-angel-has-fallen-good-boys-box-office-weekend-1202701545/ |title='Angel Has Fallen' Still Ascending Close To 'London' With $20M; Tarantino's 'Hollywood' Beating 'Basterds' – Saturday AM B.O. |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2019-08-25 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2019-08-25}} It went on to become a sleeper hit,{{cite news |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |url=https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/movies/aaron-scotti-peanut-butter-falcon-movie-20190822.html |title=How 'Friends' inspired Conshohocken's Aaron Scotti to start making movies, like the delightful 'Peanut Butter Falcon' |date=August 22, 2019 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |last=Thompson |first=Gary}} expanding the following weekend to 1,249 theaters and earning $3 million, as well as $1.1 million on Labor Day.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/angel-has-fallen-dont-let-go-blumhouse-labor-day-weekend-box-office-1202708288/ |title='Angel Has Fallen' Still In Flight At Sluggish Labor Day Box Office With $16M+ 4-Day |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=September 1, 2019 |access-date=September 3, 2019 }} The film grossed $115,420 in its 11th week of release, crossing the $20 million mark.{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2019/10/synonyms-nadav-lapid-kanye-west-jesus-is-king-frankie-ira-sachs-isabelle-huppert-specialty-box-office-1202769933/ |title= 'Synonyms' And Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King' Have Solid Premieres, 'Frankie' Debuts Soft – Specialty Box Office |last=Ramos |first=Dino-Ray |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 27, 2019 |access-date=October 27, 2019}}

= Critical response =

The film was met with positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a critic approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "A feelgood adventure brought to life by outstanding performances, The Peanut Butter Falcon finds rich modern resonance in classic American fiction."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_peanut_butter_falcon|title=The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{Cite web |title=The Peanut Butter Falcon Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-peanut-butter-falcon |website=Metacritic |access-date=October 1, 2019}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+," while those at PostTrak gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 62% "definite recommend".

Peter Debruge of Variety praised the performances, saying "In Gottsagen, we get a performer who appears to be playing an earnest, unfiltered version of himself, while in LaBeouf, there are layers at play. Oddly enough, both approaches result in a kind of spontaneous unpredictability." He called the film "a feel-good niche indie with its priorities in the right place."{{Cite web |title=Film Review: 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' |last=Debruge |first=Peter |date=2019-03-10 |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-peanut-butter-falcon-review-shia-labeouf-1203159211/ |website=Variety |access-date=2019-08-19}} Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "[Gottsagen's] sensibility infuses the modern-day fable with an engaging forthrightness. But the unequivocal material often sticks close to the surface, and the film built around him, for all its physical sweep, can feel constricted by obviousness."{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/peanut-butter-falcon-review-1192477 |title='The Peanut Butter Falcon': Film Review SXSW 2019 |last=Linden |first=Sheri |date=2019-03-13 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2019-08-29}}

David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it "a warm (if somewhat overcooked) dramedy" while David Fear of Rolling Stone felt that the climax veered close to magical realism.[https://www.indiewire.com/2019/08/the-peanut-butter-falcon-review-shia-labeouf-1202164410/ ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’ Review: Shia LaBeouf Anchors a Sweet Indie that Survives its Own Quirkiness|IndieWire][https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-peanut-butter-falcon-movie-review-shia-lebeouf-869638/ 'Peanut Butter Falcon' Review: A River (and Wrestlers) Run Through It - Rolling Stone]

= Accolades =

The film won twenty awards and received sixteen nominations:

The Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at South by Southwest{{Cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/running-with-beto-shia-labeouf-peanut-butter-falcon-sxsw-audience-awards/ |title='Running With Beto,' Shia LaBeouf's 'Peanut Butter Falcon' Win SXSW Audience Awards |last=Rossi |first=Rosemary |date=2019-03-16 |website=TheWrap |access-date=2019-08-29}}
Audience Award for Narrative Feature and Winner for Best Narrative Feature at the Nantucket Film Festival{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/the-peanut-butter-falcon-for-sama-win-top-awards-at-nantucket-film-festival-1203251399/ |title='The Peanut Butter Falcon,' 'For Sama' Win Top Awards at Nantucket Film Festival |first=Cynthia |last=Littleton |date=June 24, 2019 |website=Variety}}
Truly Moving Picture Award at the Heartland Film Festival{{Cite web |title=2019 Truly Moving Picture Award winners |url=https://heartlandfilm.org/tmpa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914141228/https://heartlandfilm.org/tmpa/ |archive-date=2019-09-14 |website=Heartland Film Festival}}
Audience Choice Award and outstanding debut performance for Zack Gottsagen at Crested Butte Film Festival{{Cite web |url=https://cbfilmfest.org/awards |title=CBFF Award-Winning Films |website=Crested Butte Film Festival |access-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-date=January 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120221533/https://cbfilmfest.org/awards |url-status=dead }}
Audience Award at the Deauville Film Festival{{cite web |url=https://www.festival-deauville.com/pid44/film-2434/the-peanut-butter-falcon?c=9 |title=The Peanut Butter Falcon |date=2019 |website=Deauville Film Festival |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210025747/https://www.festival-deauville.com/pid44/film-2434/the-peanut-butter-falcon?c=9 |archive-date=10 December 2019}}
Rising Star Award for Zack Gottsagen at Palm Springs International Film Festival{{cite web |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title='Peanut Butter Falcon' Star Zack Gottsagen to Receive Palm Springs Festival Honor |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/peanut-butter-falcon-zack-gottsagen-palm-springs-1203424055/ |website=Variety |date=4 December 2019}}
Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award for directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz from North Carolina Film Critics Association{{cite web |url=https://www.awardscircuit.com/2020/01/03/parasite-wins-best-film-director-from-north-carolina-film-critics-association/ |title='Parasite' Wins Best Film & Director From North Carolina Film Critics Association |first=Jessica |last=Peña |date=3 January 2020 |website=Awards Circuit |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104052106/https://www.awardscircuit.com/2020/01/03/parasite-wins-best-film-director-from-north-carolina-film-critics-association/ |archive-date=4 January 2020}}

In other media

LaBeouf and Gottsagen appeared as themselves presenting Best Live Action Short Subject at the 92nd Academy Awards.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjciPjUaOxc "The Neighbors' Window" wins Best Live Action Short Film - Oscars on YouTube]